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“Calm it,” Tripp reaches across the centre of the truck and places his hand on my shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze through the black long-sleeved top I am wearing.
“I am calm,” I bite but then soften my tone with a wide smile.
“Oh boy,” Pacey whistles as I climb down from the truck and slam the door shut.
I ignore him and lift my cowboy hat from my head as I push my fingers through my tight, long, curly hair. It’s unruly but I won’t wear my cowboy hat inside the Boot.
Stepping up towards the door, the country music croons through the speakers as I push it open and receive a few hat tilts as me and my brothers walk through the door. This is a small town, everybody knows everybody. A few whispers here and there, some have become a little more cautious since Tripp was assigned sheriff.
Pacey and Tripp head straight to our booth and see Harlow and Austin already sitting there but I stand for a moment as I scan the room forher.
My heart spikes when I see her cuddled in the corner with Conrad. I ball my fists by my side and swallow down the bile that is creeping up my throat.
Lowering my eyes and narrowing them in her direction, it’s not long before she catches me staring. I clench my jaw, my molars grinding as I try and refrain myself from bolting over there like a mad man. Inhaling, I exhale on a steady breath and walk towards the booth where my brothers, Austin and Harlow sit.
“Oh wow, someone is grumpy tonight,” Harlow’s voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard, and I shudder. I feel mean because I like Harlow. She is a nice girl and we all grew up together. Her and Aspen used to be best friends until Aspen found out that not only had I slept with her, but she had slept with Austin too. I get it, girl code and all that, but Aspen wasn’t a saint. She made Harlow’s life hell in the last few months before she left until she completely iced her out. Harlow gave up trying and Aspen moved on with her life, but now they were back living in the same town, something’s got to give.
“Don’t start,” I groan, scrubbing my face and instantly my irritation levels rise.
When my eyes meet with Harlow, she gives me a pout and a wink and I smile back at her.
Daisy, one of the young waitresses, comes over and places down our drinks, scotch on the rocks for me, beer for Pacey, whiskey and coke for Tripp, vodka and orange for Austin and a glass of the cheap white for Harlow.
I lay some notes down on her tray and she gives a curt nod before scampering away.
“We made it through another week,” Tripp almost cheers as he moves his drink into the centre, us all following and tapping our glasses together. We have had one hell of a week. I try not to get involved too much with what Tripp and Pacey get up to, but when they need me, I’m ready to go to war. Tripp is a little tighter lipped, he can’t tell us everything but he tells us enough. I never want him to jeopardise his job, but some things can’t be kept secret when it comes to Lovelock Bay.
“And what a week that was,” Pacey chimes in, voicing my thoughts out loud.
“Amen,” Austin nods, not that he moves in the same circle as my brothers, but seeing as Pacey helps sell the horses which Austin breeds and breaks in, he gets it. I take a mouthful of my scotch, wincing slightly when the burn coats my throat.
“Any idea on what the disease was down at Oak Ranch?” I ask, placing my glass on the table and shuffling in my seat. We got told there was a disease that ripped through one of the ranches, killing most of the livestock in a few days.
I hear Pacey sigh, “Nothing as of yet, Harlow is still running tests.” Pacey goes silent for a moment as he takes a sip of his beer. “I’m starting to think these are targeted attacks. Firstly, our cows and one of our horses were maimed, plus Clay trying to sell livestock without papers to some out-of-towners and now the cows down at The Oaks? It’s all a little bit coincidental.”
I hear Austin suck a breath between his teeth.
“What?” my elbows rest on the table.
“It’s got to be Clay. We had them suits from out of town a few months ago sniffing around the land, none of us were willing to sell. He made himself pretty damn friendly to them. The only way they could get us to settle is by taking our jobs, all of us are being hit by different things, and it’s our animals that are suffering. What’s a cowboy with no cows? A horse trainer with no horses? A livestock commissioner with no livestock? A sheriff without his badge?” he pauses for a moment as his eyes float between me and my two brothers who sit beside me.
“Nothing,” Tripp grunts.
“Exactly. Our jobs are gone in an instant, no use for the land and with no livestock we have no money. Sure, our parentshavemoney, but it’ll only go so far.” He sits back in his seat opposite us and takes another swig from his beer. “They’re trying to push us out.”
“Then we need to make sure we don’t let them.” Pacey pipes up and I can’t help but roll my eyes.
“Aspen is going out with Clay on Monday. Who knows what he will say. We’ve just got to be careful, because once he knows who she is, it’s game over. The only saving grace for us here is that Clay moved in as she moved out. There is no way he knows that she is with us,” Austin shrugs but it still doesn’t sit right with me.
“You’re playing with fire.”
“Sometimes we need to get burned,” Austin glares at me and I think I am just about done with tonight.
CHAPTEREIGHTEEN
ASPEN
My nerves are shot as I sit and anxiously watch the door for Riggs. Conrad is being as sweet as ever, his hands dipping between my thighs and giving me a gentle but reassuring squeeze, his lips brushing against my ear as he whispers sweet nothings, but all I think about is how he isn’t Riggs.
